In December 2016, the Adoption (Review) Amendment Act 2016 was passed in the South Australian Parliament. This means that some significant changes have been made to adoption law in South Australia.

These changes have happened in stages and include:

  • removing discrimination against same-sex couples
  • removing adoption information vetoes over a period of 5 years
  • bringing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle into the Objects and Guiding Principles of the Act
  • providing a definition of parties to an adoption
  • enabling adults to be adopted
  • ensuring that an adopted child can keep their first name, except in special circumstances
  • broadening the circumstances that allow for discharge of adoption orders
  • enabling parties to an adoption to be notified about the death of another party
  • enabling adopted people to have 'integrated birth certificates' which have the details of both their birth and adoptive parents.

Adoption Regulations came into effect 15 December 2018.

See Adoption (Review) Amendment Act for further information about the changes.